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2012 The Year in Photos | Part 3

President Barack Obama hugs his wife Michelle, after she introduces him at a campaign event at the Village of East Davenport in Davenport, Iowa, on August 15, 2012. In November, this image was attached to a short message sent by Barack Obama's Twitter account, after his re-election became certain, saying simply "Four more years." The image quickly became the most re-tweeted photo in Twitter's history.

A swimmer warms up in the Aquatic Center during a swimming training session ahead of the 2012 Paralympics in London, on August 29, 2012.

People run for cover as smoke rises from the site of a fire at a fireworks factory on the outskirts of Sivakasi, about 500 km (310 mi) southwest of Chennai, India, on September 5, 2012. Police in southern India said they arrested six employees of the fireworks factory for a massive blaze that killed 40 workers and injured 60 others.

US President Barack Obama is picked up by Scott Van Duzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza and Pasta Italian Restaurant during a visit to the restaurant in Fort Pierce, Florida, on September 9, 2012, during the second day of a 2-day bus tour across Florida.

Three-year-old actor Christian Haupt throws out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers' baseball game against the San Diego Padres, on September 4, 2012, in Los Angeles.

Protesters destroy an American flag pulled down from the U.S. embassy in Cairo September 11, 2012. Egyptian protesters scaled the walls of the U.S. embassy on Tuesday, tore down the American flag and burned it during a protest over what they said was a film being produced in the United States that insulted Prophet Mohammad.

A man reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi burns, after an attack on September 11, 2012. Four American staff members were killed, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens. The attack was initially characterized as being part of widespread protests against an anti-Islam movie, but was later identified as a terrorist attack by militants related to Al-Qaeda.

Britain's David Anthony celebrates after scoring a goal during their Wheelchair Rugby match against the U.S. during the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, on September 5, 2012.

Soldiers perform a haka at the Military Commemorative Service for LCPL Durrer and LCPL Malone at Burnam Military Camp in Christchurch, New Zealand, on August 11, 2012. The two were killed in a gun battle in Afghanistan over the previous weekend. The soldiers are performing their unit haka, acknowledging the lives and feats of their fallen comrades. The powerful, moving ceremony can also be seen here, in a video from the New Zealand Defence Force.

Protesters stand behind barman Alberto Casillas as riot police surround the bar during a demonstration organized by Spain's "indignant" protesters to decry an economic crisis they say has "kidnapped" democracy in Madrid, Spain, on September 25, 2012. Casillas stood up to the police, protecting the protesters who sought refuge in his bar. Thousands of demonstrators had rallied near parliament in Madrid in anger at the government's handling of the economic crisis.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns at Van Dyck Park in Fairfax, Virginia, on September 13, 2012. Romney and U.S. President Barack Obama spent significant time competing in Virginia, one of the primary battleground states.

Surfers attempt to break the Guinness world record for the largest amount of surfers on a wave at one time, in Muizenberg on the outskirts of Cape Town, South Africa, on September 30, 2012.

A police officer stands in a mock gallows outside the Finance Ministry during a protest against budget cuts in Athens, Greece, on September 6, 2012. Nearly 2,000 policemen, coast guards and firefighters protested against planned salary cuts. The measures reportedly include a 3.5-billion-euro slash to pensions, health cuts worth 1.47 billion euros and a 517-million-euro cut to defense.

Former President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, September 5, 2012.

A Syrian man holds his robe while walking in the partially destroyed Salaheddin neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria, under the control of the Syrian army, on September 3, 2012. Syrian troops backed by artillery and warplanes fought rebels on multiple fronts on September 5 as peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi described the death toll as "staggering" and destruction "catastrophic."

EBU (European) Heavyweight champion Kubrat Pulev of Bulgaria connects with a punch thrown at Alexander Ustinov of Belarus, during the fight for Pulev's heavyweight title and IBF eliminator for the top spot in the rankings in Hamburg, Germany, on September 29, 2012. Pulev knocked out Ustinov in the eleventh round.

A red deer stag looks for food in a bracken thicket after sunrise in Richmond Park in London, England, on October 27, 2012. Richmond Park is the largest of the capital's Royal Parks and home to 630 red and fallow deer.

Astronaut Andre Kuipers watches a bubble in a drop of water as he enjoys his last days of weightlessness aboard the International Space Station, on June 24, 2012.

A woman experiences the "Rain Room" art installation by "Random International" in The Curve at the Barbican Center in London, England, on October 3, 2012. The "Rain Room" is a 100 square meter field of falling water which visitors are invited to walk into with sensors detecting where visitors are standing. The installation runs until March 3, 2013.

A Pakistani student holds a picture of 14-year-old schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai, who, on October 9, 2012, was shot by a member of the Taliban for speaking out in support of education for women. This photo was taken during a tribute to Malala at the Pakistani Embassy in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. After an airlift to the United Kingdom for treatment, Malala remains in intensive rehabilitation. In October, a spokesman for the Taliban reiterated a threat to kill Malala, should she survive this attempt. The young activist has become an international symbol now, drawing support from across the globe, including calls for her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

A crowd watches an F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft of the Swiss Air Force performing a flight demonstration over Axalp in the Bernese Oberland, on October 11, 2012.

A man, who was accused of theft, is tied up and beaten by villagers of Tactic, in Alta Verapaz region, of Guatemala, on September 13, 2012. The local community tied up and beat four men who were accused of theft in the aftermath of a school killing, which had occurred the day before. The man, who had entered a classroom and killed two children, ages 8 and 13, with a machete, was lynched and burnt alive by a mob, local media reported.

On Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover, newly landed on the red planet, used the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) to capture a set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait, on October 31, 2012. The mosaic shows the rover at "Rocknest," the spot in Gale Crater where the mission's first scoop sampling took place. Four scoop scars can be seen in the regolith in front of the rover.

Glasgow scrum half Henry Pyrgos (center) sets up an attack during the Heineken Cup round 2 rugby match between Glasgow Warriors and Ulster at Scotstoun Stadium on October 19, 2012 in Glasgow, Scotland.

A mourner cries as people gather to wait for the arrival of the remains of the late former Cambodian King Norodom Sihanouk at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh early October 17, 2012. Sihanouk, once an absolute ruler who freed Cambodia from colonialism before becoming a tragic pawn through decades of turmoil, died on October 15 in a Beijing hospital. He was 89.

South Korean singer Psy performs during his concert in central Seoul, on October 2, 2012. Psy jumped to the top of the worldwide pop charts with his quirky catchy dance track "Gangnam Style", an Internet phenomenon that has clocked up nearly 900 million views on YouTube.

Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps from a capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos on Sunday, October 14, 2012. In a giant leap from more than 24 miles up, Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier Sunday while making the highest jump ever -- a tumbling, death-defying plunge from a balloon to a safe landing in the New Mexico desert.

A Syrian man cries while holding the body of his son near Dar El Shifa hospital in Aleppo, Syria, on October 3, 2012. Three suicide bombers detonated cars packed with explosives in a government-controlled area of the battleground Syrian city of Aleppo on Wednesday, killing at least 34 people, leveling buildings and trapping survivors under the rubble, state TV said. More than 120 people were injured, the government said.

Traymond Harris, left, and Ryan Hudge play basketball as the shuttle Endeavour passes by on Crenshaw Avenue on October 13, 2012 in Inglewood, California. Endeavour was on its last mission -- a 12-mile creep through city streets, past an eclectic mix of strip malls, mom-and-pop shops, tidy lawns and faded apartment buildings. Its final destination was the California Science Center in South Los Angeles where it was put on display.

Superstorm Sandy left a swath of destruction at the end of October, causing at least 250 deaths in seven countries, and $65.6 billion in damages. Here, Seawater pours into the Ground Zero construction site in New York, as Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012.

An image of New York City's blackout, caused by Sandy's high winds and flooding, taken from a rooftop in Chelsea, on October 29, 2012.

An aerial view shows a house pushed into marshland almost a month after the Oakwood neighborhood in the Staten Island borough of New York was left devastated by Hurricane Sandy, on November 28, 2012.

The remains of the Star Jet roller coaster, formerly part of the Casino Pier amusement park, stranded in the ocean in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, on November 11, 2012.

A soldier from 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment (The Vikings) stands to attention as his regiment receives their Afghanistan Operational Service Medal at Picton Barracks in Bulford, England, on November 1, 2012. The parade was the first in a series of events marking the end of their successful six-month deployment to Afghanistan as part of Task Force Helmand. The parade comes during the same week that two more British soldiers were shot dead at a checkpoint in Afghanistan by a man wearing a local police uniform.

Near totality is seen during the solar eclipse at Palm Cove, Australia, on November 14, 2012. Thousands of eclipse-watchers gathered in part of North Queensland to enjoy the solar eclipse, the first in Australia in a decade.

Late on election night, after the ballots were counted and the outcome became clear, US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, delivered a brief concession speech in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 7, 2012.

Newly re-elected President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle are showered with confetti after his acceptance speech in Chicago, on November 7, 2012.

People celebrate after hearing that President Barack Obama was predicted to win the election in Burlington, Vermont, on November 6, 2012.

A man and woman swim in flooded Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square) in Venice, Italy, on November 11, 2012. High tides have flooded Venice, leading Venetians and tourists to don high boots and use wooden walkways to cross Piazza San Marco and other areas under water.

A bomb is pictured in mid-drop, part of an Israeli airstrike on Gaza City, on November 21, 2012. For a week in mid-November, Gaza militants intensified rocket fire into Israel and Israeli forces struck hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip in the latest flare-up of violence in the region. A ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was mediated by Egypt, and has held so far.

Thousands of Congolese flee the town of Sake, 26km west of Goma, following fresh fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo town on November 22, 2012. A rebel group called the March 23 Movement (M23), was able to seize the city of Goma and several other smaller towns for a time, but have pulled back from the larger city now.

A car stops beside a house in the middle of a newly built road in Wenling, Zhejiang province, November 22, 2012. An elderly couple refused to sign an agreement to allow their house to be demolished. They said that compensation offered was not enough to cover rebuilding costs, according to local media. Days later, the couple accepted a modestly higher offer, and the structure was quickly demolished.

Anti-Mursi protesters gather at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, on November 27, 2012. Opponents of President Mohamed Mursi clashed with Egyptian police on Tuesday as thousands of protesters stepped up pressure on the recently-elected Islamist to scrap a decree they say threatens the nation with a new era of autocracy.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft looked down on Saturn's north pole and spotted roiling storm clouds and a swirling vortex at the center of Saturn's famed northern polar hexagon. This image was taken on November 27, 2012.